His Son
by PeaceLightVictory
Summary: Leland Hawkins returns to speak with Jim after an unusual conversation with a cyborg. But he learns that his son does not need him any more.


**Author's Note: So I feel bad I haven't updated my other story yet so I decided I would post a one-shot that I've been thinking about. I hope you all enjoy! :) Don't own Treasure Planet or any of the characters. I have no idea where the name Leland came from but I understand that that particular name has been dubbed Jim's father soooo I'll roll with it!**

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His Son

It was busy at the pub that day. It was raining, which wasn't unusual for the overcast mining planet. Travelers quickly left the ferries that were docking and hurriedly entered the pub, making it even busier. One of the passengers, a tall Ursid cyborg, slowly made his way through the crowds. He kept his tricorn hat pulled low over his eyes and his cyborg hand stuffed deep inside his trench coat's pocket. He walked over to the counter where a heavyset Canine stood with a rag and a mug. The cyborg glanced around as he rested his arms on the rough wooden counter top. He ordered his ale and waited for it as he continued to scan the crowds. His eyes passed over a fellow a few feet away then snapped back on the slouching man who was buried in his own cup of beer. The Ursid's eyes narrowed, taking in the human's appearance. The man looked - familiar.

The bartender returned with the cyborgs drink and he accepted the cup before sliding over to where the man stood. Taking a sip, he observed the haggard looking human out of the corner of his eye. _It's not the lad - but he looks enou'h like 'im to be 'is father._ A frown crossed the Ursid's face before being replaced with a neutral expression. He reached a hand up and pushed his hat back from his eyes so he didn't like too intimidating. "Blasted weader out dere." He mused.

The human shrugged. "It's always like that."

"Aye. I've heard dat." The cyborg nodded, trying to come up with something to say to this man. "You from 'round here? Or are ya passin' through?"

"I've got some work for now, but I'm staying until I have enough money to move on again." The man turned to look up at the cyborg.

_He's got de same eyes! I'm sure of it now. _Sticking his good hand out, the cyborg grinned. "Name's John. I'm just a humble cyborg trekking da universe."

"Leland Hawkins." The human supplied taking John's hand and shaking it. "Not sure why you're interested in talking to me though."

John chuckled as he lifted his mug to his lips. "I just likes ta talk to anyone who'd listen." Turning back to Leland, John asked, "So where ya from? Not many humans come round these parts."

Leland shrugged again, a habit John was all too familiar with. "I travel so much I guess you could say I don't come from any one place. I used to live on Montressor for a while." He fell silent, a frown creasing his brow. Brightening a bit, he cocked his head to look at the cyborg. "And you?"

"Same as you. Here and dere. No place in particular." John replied waving his metallic hand vaguely. Slowly, cautiously he asked Leland, "Do ya have a family?"

The man went very still beside the Ursid. Turning icy eyes on John, he inquired, "Why do you want to know?"

John shrugged, "I's curious is all. Fillin' the silence with chatter. I'm not sure where the question came from."

Leland watched John for a minute more before nodding his head. "Yeah. A wife and kid - well I guess he wouldn't be a kid anymore. Haven't seen them in so long."

"Me, I haven't got a family." John stated, staring off at the ceiling. "I did meet a lad - he hadn't a pap to teach him not'ing. Had to get 'im outta a couple of fights I did." Chuckling, he shook his head. "He was the handful the rascal."

"Hmm." Leland took another swig from his cup, not at all interested in the topic. John was not about to let it die though.

"Aye. He was a bitter, lonely lad. Wanted a father badly. Only he was too proud to a'mit to it." John thought back on the boy with a fond smile. "I was rough on 'im at first. Was the only way to get 'im to do anyt'ing. He surprised me wid his determination. Best cabin boy I'd ever worked wid." The cyborg glanced over at Leland to see if he was still listening, which he was. _Got the same look of deep concentration he does. _

"You think - he still wants his own father back?" Leland asked still deep in thought.

John shook his head. "That lad doesn't need a father anymore. He's got da wind in his sails to carry 'im. He's got a future now. Dat's what he told me when I left 'im. Said he saw a future of fdat bow of 'is." A tear came to his eye then, remembering that bitter sweet good-bye. Rubbing at it, he straightened. "Aye, dat was da greatest honor - pointin' out dat charting star for 'im to follow. I' wasn't much but it was what I could do." John looked at Leland, "I al'ays wondered what would 'appen if I should meet 'is father. Could ya do me a favour?"

Leland looked up from his now empty cup, "Depends."

"Could ya tell me, as a father who 'asn't seen 'is son in a while, would ya be mad at a man if he 'elped yer boy? Took away that chance a father 'as to guide 'is son?" The cyborg's gaze bore into the human, searching.

He was thinking, that much was certain. Slowly, he answered, "Yes. I would be."

Turning slowly back to his cup of ale, John sighed. "Hmmm. Dat's a shame." Downing the contents in one gulp he then slapped down some coins on the counter top. "Well, I better be off. Da ferry's leavin' now I t'ink." He began to walk away, but Leland turned to call after him.

"Hey!" John stopped and turned his head to look at the man. Leland continued, "You think that boy still wants to see his father?"

"No. I don't t'ink he does anymore." John answered before adding, "But I don't know. I ha'n't seen 'im in a - long while." Without another word, the cyborg Ursid walked on out into the rain.

-~-

"Montressor! Welcome to the mining planet of Montressor! We're porting here for a couple of hours so grab a bite. I suggest the New Benbow Inn, best food for miles." The captain called out as the ship pulled in to dock. The passengers hurried off towards the inn that was well lit and inviting, except one. Leland hung back, gazing at the structure before him. It had been a long time since he had seen the place and it looked practically new. _Sarah, did you sell the place?_ Swinging his sack over his back, he took one cautious step down the gang plank. He trudged up the dirt path towards the inn and to him the path never seemed this long before. Coming to a stop several feet away from the front entrance, he gazed into the large glass window at all the laughing people that filled the interior. Leland just stood and watched, hoping to catch a glimpse of his wife or son. _There!_ He spotted her pouring a very ugly alien woman a cup of purp juice. His eyes darted towards the front door, back at the window, and then towards the side of the house. There had been a back door to the kitchen - and he didn't want to make a scene by just walking in the front door like nothing had ever happened. Leland wanted a private talk with his wife and son, nothing more.

Shouldering his bag once again, he walked around the inn towards the back. Just as he had thought, there was a back door and he was in luck - a rare occasion for Leland Hawkins - because the door was unlocked. Stepping into the warm room, he was assaulted with the rich aromas of cooking food. Glancing around, he spotted an android chopping vegtables at a counter. The robot looked up as Leland shut the door. "Oh! Oh my! Guests are supposed to be up front. Hey - you look like someone I know!" The loud, obnoxious contraption tapped his head with a finger. "Hmmm... I know I've seen someone that looks like you."

Clearing his throat, Leland interrupted the android. "Could you go get Sa- I mean, could you go get Mrs. Hawkins? Tell her there is someone who would like to speak with her."

"Oh sure! I'll be Right back." The android happily ran out of the kitchen yelling for Sarah. Leland dropped his bag by the door and sat down on one of the chairs to wait. He didn't have long to wait though.

Sarah came in being pushed by the android. "B.E.N I really do not have time for -" She stopped in mid sentence when she turned to look at Leland, "this." She finished in shock.

"Hello Sarah." Leland greeted as he stood up, brushing a hand through his uncut brown hair.

She turned and shoved B.E.N. out the door. "Go watch the tables and do NOT come back in here." Once the stammering android was gone, Sarah turned around again to glare up at Leland. "What do you want?"

"Is that any way to treat your husband?" Leland asked patronizingly.

"You are not my husband Leland. You gave up that title the moment you walked out of this house and never made any way to contact me or Jim!" She raged in a trembling voice.

"Speaking of which, where is he? I wanted to talk to him." The man looked around the kitchen quizzically, hoping Sarah would take the hint and just let him speak with his son.

"He is out and won't be back for a while." Sarah replied stiffly. "Now why are you here? Did you hear about the treasure?"

Leland perked up at the word. "Treasure Sarah? What treasure?"

Her whole body straightened rigidly. "First of all, there _is_ no treasure. Not any more. Second, if you are here because of that then you can just march right off that dock and just stay away!"

"I really just want to talk to Jim, Sarah." He shrugged, deciding to leave the thought of treasure alone.

"You will not see him." Sarah declared tersely.

He frowned. "I am the boy's father. I have a right to see him."

"A right!" Sarah forgot to keep her voice down. "You walked out on us! You walked out on _him_! What RIGHT do you have? Tell me Leland, have you been here these past ten years? Where were you when our son got expelled from school because he got into fights? Where were you when he nearly got thrown into juvenile hall? Where were you when pirates came and burned the inn? Where were you when Jim graduated from the Stellar Academy? You were barely around for the best years of his childhood, you left during his teenage life, you missed him growing up into a man, and now you just show up expecting us all to be glad that you're back?!" Shaking with rage, she pointed a hand towards the door. "Get out. Get out and don't you dare come back." Leland opened his mouth to speak but Sarah shook her head. "Get out Leland or I will have you thrown out." Slowly backing towards the door, he bent down and picked up his bag. Still keeping his eyes on Sarah, Leland opened the door before backing out it. He kept his gaze on his wife as he slowly shut the door.

~-~

Jim rode his solar surfer into the yard of the Benbow Inn. The lights were still on and he could hear the noise of happy customers inside. He smiled as he took the surfer around back to where the shed was. He quickly stored it away and locked the shed. He was about to head into the kitchen when he stopped and looked down towards the docks. It had become a habit for him to look at the docks - hoping against hope to see someone there. To his surprise, there was someone waiting down there. His heart raced with excitement and joy but his mind was arguing with him. _It can't be him. The man is too small and doesn't look like he has any cyborg parts._ Jim began running down towards the docks, his heart denying the logical thoughts running through his head. His boots thumped loudly on the wooden planks as he called out, "Silver!"

The man turned to look at him and Jim skidded to a halt. He gasped in shock and because of the long run. "D-dad."

Leland stood, watching his son's face closely. "Hello Jim." The pair stood staring at each other in silence for a long time.

Jim was the first to recover. His face hardened and he took a step back. "What are you doing here? Why are you back?"

"I came to check on you and your mother." Leland answered. He had rehearsed what he would say should he get the chance to speak to his son and so the answer was readily on his lips. "My, you have grown. How old are you now?"

Jim stuffed his hands inside his jacket pockets. "Don't you know?" He rolled his eyes when Leland shook his head. "Twenty-two. If you are here to check on us then why aren't you up at the inn?"

"Your mother asked me to leave." Leland replied slowly, deciding not to tell Jim about his parents' 'argument'. Clearing his throat, he said, "Your mother tells me that you graduated from the Stellar Academy."

Jim shrugged. "Yeah. Just a couple of months ago."

"I see they made you cut off your pony tail." Leland chuckled as he remembered his son at the age of twelve with the bit of hair sticking out at the base of his head.

"No big deal. I did whatever it took to stay in school there. Good grades, behaving according to the rules, stuff like that." Jim answered nonchalantly.

"How'd you manage to get in?" Leland asked before saying, "Your mother said something about a treasure. You use that?"

Jim's eyes hardened. "No. I used some money I was given by a friend to fix up the Benbow after it was burned down. I was on board a ship for a couple of month and the captain recomended me to the academy and Doppler was kind enough to help fund my tuition. That's how I got in."

Leland nodded. "So you going to stay in this mud hole or are you getting your own ship?"

Jim smiled a little as he gazed up at the sky. "I don't know about a ship yet. I've got some options though. I gotta keep looking ahead at that future of mine. I gotta keep following that charting star."

Leland's eyes widened. He had heard that before - from that Ursid. "Oh. I see." He thought carefully before speaking again. "Your mom also said you were pretty rough before. What changed?"

Jim kept his eyes on the stars that were coming out in the sky. He was thinking of Silver and a thousand other things. "Met someone who told me that I had 'the makings of greatness' in me. He told me to 'stick to it no matter the squab'." He chuckled as tears moistened his eyes. _I miss hearing your voice Silver. Even all those stupid jokes you made. _

"Sounds like a good man." Leland mumbled. "What else he tell you?"

Jim answered, "He asked me to come with him. I turned him down." He missed the look of shock on Leland's face since he was still gazing up at the Etherium. "I told him that a wise old cyborg once told me to chart my course and to keep an eye on that star. He asked me what I saw off that bow of mine and I told him. I saw a future." A grin broke out on Jim's face. "I see a future. He told me that I'd rattle the stars. And I intend to. For him. For Silver."

"A cyborg huh?" Leland sighed as he realized who his son was talking about. "Well I guess John was right. You've got wind in your sails and you don't need me I guess."

Jim's head whipped around to look at the man standing before him. "What did you say? John? John Silver?

"I never caught his last name. But if he's an Ursid cyborg then yeah." Leland shrugged, still feeling depressed.

Jim ran a hand through his hair as he turned away to hid his beaming face now streaked with tears. He took a deep breath to control his voice. "So he's okay?"

"Yes Jim. He looked fine last I saw him." Leland answered, sitting back down on the crate he had been waiting on earlier.

"Good." Jim sighed, rubbing the traces from his face. He noticed a crowd exiting the inn and turned to look at Leland. "Looks like your ship is heading out now."

Leland glanced up and nodded. "So it is." They remained there in mutual silence before Leland stood up again. "Well I guess this is good bye again Son."

Jim stared into the man's eyes, something he could now do since they were of equal height now. "It's been good bye between us for a long time now Sir."

Leland nodded again and reached a hand up to rub the back of his neck. "Yeah well I never said it the first time so I figured that I could at least say it this time." There was another long pause before he stuck out his hand, awaiting Jim to shake it. Slowly, Jim reached out and took the offered hand. When they released their hand shake, Leland turned and walked up the gang plank. He stopped and turned back to look at Jim. "You know, I came because of him. He was talking about you. Talked like he was talking about his own son." Leland turned again and continued up the plank.

Jim smiled all the way back to the inn. He didn't bother to wait around to watch the ship leave. He knew there wasn't anyone on that ship he needed to wait around for any more.

~-~

Leland stood and watched Jim walk back up the path towards the Benbow Inn as the ship began to launch. He continued to strain to catch a glimpse of the young man even as they left the planet's atmosphere. Sighing, he shook his head. Jim had grown into a fine lad as John Silver had said. He did have that wind beneath his sails and he didn't need Leland anymore. Silver had been wrong in one aspect though. Leland glanced up at the stars. Jim still needed a father figure - even though Leland could never be that figure. Sarah had been right too. Leland had lost the right to be Jim's father. Jim had found someone else to be his father. Jim was now Silver's son. Leland nodded slowly as that sunk in. Silver's son.

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**I've updated it so it's a bit more readable. Thank you for the comments UnluckyWriter and Passion Scarlett! Hope to have more readers in the future. :)**


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